Best Value in Public Services Joint Working Toolkit
Characteristics of Joint Working - from Best Value in Public Services Secondary Guidance to Accountable Officers (May 2006)
Self Assessment Questions on Joint Working - from Best Value in Public Services Self Assessment Questionnaire (May 2006)
The case for Joint Working
Joint working, whether by choice or due to statutory obligation, has increasingly become the norm as a means of improving public service provision. Many public service organisations have already recognised the benefits of working in partnership with other bodies, either on an informal or a more formal basis, as a means of meeting their goals and objectives. If approached effectively and in a focussed way, joint working can yield a range of benefits including:
- A partnership approach to cross-cutting issues;
- Innovation;
- Increased outreach and access to new markets and resources;
- Bringing new perspectives; and
- Spreading the costs and risks associated with projects.
Joint working can however be time consuming, and organisations contemplating entering into a partnership arrangement will wish to be certain that the proposals will add value.
General Advice on Joint Working
The following sections offer advice on specific forms of formal joint working, but should not be taken as exhaustive. They advise on the types of organisations with whom public service organisations are likely to be working, and how they might consider going about this. Public service organisations are encouraged to continue to explore all possible forms of joint working of both a formal and informal nature, paying heed to the recommendations of the Best Value in Public Services Secondary Guidance and the questions in the Best Value in Public Services Self Assessment Questionnaire.
In joint working, public service organisations should consider opportunities for collaboration with three main groups of organisations:
The nature of such joint working arrangements will depend upon the specific circumstances of each public service organisation, and the information contained in this Toolkit should not be taken as prescriptive, but rather as illustrative practical advice on how to implement this part of the Best Value duty.
This Toolkit is under development and as such currently only includes a few case study examples, but further useful links and cases studies will be added as they become available. If you or your organisation wish to contribute good practice case studies, please email us at best.value@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.
More detailed information on the benefits and potential pitfalls of joint working, including the value of exploring innovative types of partnership arrangements which fall outside the scope of this Toolkit, can be found on the Improvement Service website, which also includes links to a wide range of further resources on joint working. The Office of Government Commerce website also offers considerable guidance in this area, including a Successful Delivery Toolkit.